C.J. Gardner-Johnson Takes Victory Lap Right Before Detroit's Collapse Against San Francisco 49ers

Detroit Lions cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson took a premature victory lap on Sunday, setting up the team for a major collapse. The trash-talking specialist ended up on the wrong side of a 'spoke too soon' moment ... going on to lose, 34-31.

After a rapid start to Sunday's game for the Lions, Gardner-Johnson waved goodbye to the crowds at Levi's Stadium in the second quarter. Despite there being plenty of game left, Gardner-Johnson put the crowds to bed early.

READ: DAN CAMPBELL PROMISED TO BE AGGRESSIVE, AND HE KEPT THAT PROMISE EVEN AS IT SUNK LIONS’ SEASON

Rather than wait till the game was over, Gardner-Johnson felt empowered by a 21-7 lead, with five minutes left in the half.

WATCH:

CJGJ's waving at the crowd proved to be nothing more than bad taunting when the game clock officially hit double zeroes — ending the Motor City's Cinderella run.

C.J. Gardner-Johnson Takes Victory Lap Right Before Detroit's Collapse Against Niners

Frankly, the Lions did appear in total control leading up to CJGJ's gloating. Detroit jumped out with the lead after TDs from Jameson Williams, David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.

Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and head coach Dan Campbell engineered the ideal first-half plan but came out with no strategy to maintain the lead.

San Francisco escaped a 17-point deficit. The Niners found a spark in the form of 27 unanswered points in the second half. sparked an unanswered 27-point barrage. The Niners' 17-point pit tied an NFC Championship Game record for the largest deficit set up for a comeback win.

Aided by a miraculous Brandon Aiyuk catch and a sputtering second-half Lions offense, the Niners roared back, sending the once dejected Levi's Stadium crowds into a frenzy.

After getting severely out-coached, Dan Campbell and the hopeful Lions fans come back down to reality, knowing this is the closest Detroit will get to the Super Bowl, probably for a long time to come.

DETROIT, MI - JANUARY 21: C.J. Gardner-Johnson #2 of the Detroit Lions warms up prior to an NFL divisional round playoff football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Ford Field on January 21, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

C.J. Gardner-Johnson of the Detroit Lions. CJGJ stands on the sidelines during the national anthem. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

CJGJ expectedly took his hits on social media for the foolish celebration.

San Francisco players relished in shutting Gardner-Johnson up after the game.

From their locker room, Niners fans live-streamed their reactions to the win, stomping on CJGJ for poking the bear.